May 13 At Moyie Mud Bogs

Twice a year the hills of northern Idaho begin to roar as thousands of trucks, Jeeps, buggies, beaters, bashers, hill-billies, mountainfolk, country boys, and cowgirls descend on the Moyie mud bogs for a weekend of wild and crazy good times. The Moyie (pronounced moi-yay) spring bog falls on Mother’s Day weekend, and they usually have a second yearly event every September. The event isn’t just a mud bog; there are hillclimbs, a wooded creek-bed trail, camping, and a massive bonfire party with a live band Saturday night. This year the event happened to coincide with one of the first sunny weekends in the Northwest, so tops were down and the action wild as ever, but many years the May mud bog is rainy and wet instead of dusty like this year.

The crowd along the mud bog was huge at Moyie, and they were ready to cheer on every truck that hit the sloppy mess. Drivers had to zigzag all over the place looking for traction, as the hole was very deceiving with hidden ruts that would catch axles and pull 4x4s to a stop.

The mud bog quickly sucked in trucks with less than substantial power, and a massive logging tractor was there to drag them out. As usual, carnage struck often with everything from flat tires to busted driveshafts to a broken knuckle or two, sending four-by’s back to camp on the hook.

We’ve been wondering why we don’t see more medium-duty truck cabs on mud trucks. Yeah, they’re heavy if you use them stock, but their wheelwells are often larger than the light-duty versions and many come with a big-block already under the hood.

If you’re interested in attending the September event or next spring’s, check out www.moyiemudbog.com.